Marking device



Patented June 21, 1932 UNITED STATES GEORGE I). CROTTY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS MARKING DEVICE Application filed November 20, 1929. Serial No. 408,630.

This invention relates to certain novel improvements in marking devices and has for its principal object the provision of an improved construction of this character which 7 will be highlyefficient in use and economical in manufacture.

In arranging envelopes for the transmission of air mail it is customary to imprint thereon red and blue stripes and this may be done so that the stripes will be extended across the envelopes in a continuous manner or if desired inan interrupted manner or, as is sometimes carried out, may be marked by alternate stripes along the edges of the envelope. At the present time this is earned out by printing such marking on the envelopes and it is manifest that this is'a relatively expensive method which requires two printing operations. It 1s, therefore, the

salient object of my invention to provide a marking device which will be Constructedso that such indicating stripes may be readily marked on envelopes without requiring the operation to be carried out in the printing press. 7

Another object of my invention is to provide a marking device of the above described character which will be arranged so as to imprint suitable indicia.

'A still further object of the invention is to provide a mechanism of the above described type which will be arranged so that 1t may be hand operated and which will embody rollers which will carry out the marking aforesaid.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an expeditious means for supplying ink to the marking rollers.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by -15 reference to the accompanying I drawing, showing the preferred form of construction and in which: 7 a Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a device constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a front end view of the device as illustrated in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken'substantially on the line 33 on Fig. 2;.

Fig. 4 is a sectional View taken substantially on the line 4-4 on Fig. 3; and

. Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 3 depicting a modified form of construction.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein I have illustrated a preferred form of construc- 00 tion for my invention 10 indicates the housing in which my improved device .is preferably mounted. In the present instance this housing includes side plates 11 and 12 and the housing is preferably arranged sothat an opening 13 is provided at the forward lower edge thereof. Extended between the end walls 11 and 12 and carried thereby is a shaft 1%. A roller structure generically indicated by 15 is mounted on the shaft 14 and extends 7 through the opening 13 beyond the confines of the body 10.

7 By referring to Fig. 2 is may be seen that the roller, structure 15 includes printing rollers 16 and 17 and a spacing roller 18 is arranged intermediate the printing rollers 16 and 17. It has been pointed out that it is desirable to print suitableindicia such as the words Airmail and in'order to accomplish this I haveprovided the following arrange- 8O ment. In one of the rollers,*which in the present instance is the roller 16, I cut outthese letters'as is indicated at 19 and preferably these letters are'cut out so as to be disposed below the periphery of the wheel 16. It is, therefore, manifest that when the device is operated the areas cut away by the formation of these letters are not printed and, therefore, the formation of these letters will appear in the strips that are formed-by the rollers in the manner to be set forth presently. While this is the preferred manner of arranging these letters it is to be understood that theymay be arranged in other manners without departing from the purview of myinvention. v In the side walls 11 and 12 I provide openings 20 and 21. Pivotally mounted on the side wall 11 is a plate 22 which has a securing element 23 thereon and which is pivotally mounted as indicated at 24 and thisplate 2 2.

closes the opening 20. A similar plate 25 closes the opening 21 and this plate 25 is pivotally mounted as indicated at 26 and includes a securing element 27. Arranged so as to extend between the side walls 11 and 12 is a shaft 28. Mounted on the shaft 28 are rollers 29 and 30 which are disposed in alignment with the rollers 16 and 17. A rib 31 is formed in the housing 10 and serves to hold the rollers 29 and 30 in position. The rollers 29 and 30 will be known hereinafter as the ink carrying rollers.

Arranged intermediate the shafts 14 and 28 is a shaft 32 which also extends between the side walls 11 and 12. Mounted on the shaft 32 are rollers 33 and 34 which will be known hereinafter as the ink transferring rollers. The rollers 33 and 3 1 have the peripheries thereof arranged in engagement respectively with the rollers 16 and 17 :and'29 and 30. Arranged intermediate the rollers 33 and 34: is "a roller 35 which will be known hereinafter as the tensioning roller and this tensioning roller bears on theroller 18.

In use the plates 22 and 25 are moved so as to afford access to the ink carrying rollers 29 and30 and a supply of ink is introduced onto these rollers after which the plates 22 and 25 are replaced in closing position where they are retained by the elements 23 and 27. Preferably different colors or ink are introducedonto the rollers 29 and 30,- as for example, blue ink may be introduced onto the roller 29 while red ink may be introduced onto "the roller 30. In order to use the device the body 1 0 is gripped and the rollers 16 and 17 are disposed in engagement with the surface to be marked. -'By moving the body 10 over the surface to be marked with the rollers 16 and 1}"! in engagement therewith it is manifestthat two parallel stripes will be imprinted since the ink on the rollers 29 and 30 will be transferred to the rollers 16 and 1 7 by the rollers '33 and '34. Inasmuch as the lett'ers19 are cut away from the periphery of the roller :16, that is, the letters .19 are intaglio le'tters, it is manifest that no lnk will be transferred to the inner surfaces of the recesses which form these letters, and, therefore, these. letters will appear in the stripe created by the roller 16. It s readily apparent that the device may be directedin any desired manner over an envelope or the like and, therefore, the same may be very effectively :and noticeably marked in a rapid and inexpensive manner.

While I have set forth the rollers 16 and 117 as embodying solid peripheries it is manifest that I might arrange these rollers so that alternate portions would be cut from "the peripheries thereof and it is, therefore, "readily apparent that these rollers Wlll only imprint at spaced apartintervals and'this arrangement is sometimes employed esperially in marking the edges of an envelope.

In Fig. 5 I have depicted a modified form of construction. Herein the transferring rollers 33 and 34: are not employed and the ink carrying rollers 29 and 30 are arranged so as to directly abut the rollers 16 and 17 and it is manifest that this construction will perform satisfactorily although I have found the previously described arrangement to be preferable inasmuch as a more uniform ink distribution may be brought about. By reason of the tension between the rollers 18 and 35 the rollers 33 and 3 1 will always be rotated and this obviates the necessity of bringing about tight engagement between the inking rollers.

Vhile I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification, without departing from the spirit of the invention. fore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect 'by Letters Patent is:

1. A hand stamp for marking parallel and di'fierently colored stripes upon envelopes and for imprinting in one of said stripes indicia signifying that the envelope is to be sent by air mail, comprising a substantially rectangular housing having an opening in one corner thereof and including side walls,

a shaft journaled in said side walls adjacent said openlng, a pair of rollers mounted on said shaft in spaced relation and having portions thereof extended through said opening and on one of which are formed said indici'a,-a second'shaft ournaled insaid side walls, and rollers thereon frictionally engaging said first named rollers at the rear thereof, a third shaft, and ink pad rollers thereon frictionally engagingsaid second named rollers, said-housing having ot'her openings therein, and closu-re members for said last named openings through which inks of different colors may be placed upon said ink pad rollers.

2. A hand stamp for imprinting indicia upon a surface comprising a housing having an opening therein, ashaft journaled in said housing adjacent said opening and 'indicia bearing rollers onsaid shaft including portions projecting through said opening,asec- 0nd shaft and rollers thereon engaging said first named rollers, a third shaft,'and ink pad rollers thereon in engagement with said second named rollers, said'housinghaving other openings therein through which ink may be placed upon said ink pad rollers for transmission through said second named "rollers to said first n amedrollers, and a thirdand tensioning roller on each of said first and I, theresecond named shafts between the rollers thereon and said tensioning rollers being in frictional engagement with each other.

3. A hand stamp for imprinting indicia upon a surface comprising a housing having an opening therein, a shaft jour'naled in said housing, a pair of printing rollers on said shaft and projecting partially through said opening, a second shaft journaled in said housing, and a pair of ink absorbent rollers thereon frictionally engaging said first named rollers, and a third roller on each of said shafts between the other rollers thereon and said last named rollers frictionally engaging each other.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

GEORGE D. CROTTY. 

